music videos - Billie Jean
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson - AS Case Study
Media Theoretical Framework - AS - Component 1
Michael Jackson - 1982
1. what representations are being shown? stereotypes?
Media Theoretical Framework - AS - Component 1
Michael Jackson - 1982
1. what representations are being shown? stereotypes?
- detectives - cliche 80s detective drama - cloak / hiding behind newspapers / magnifying glass - Pink Panther
- homeless - stereotypical - male -> subverted (after money was put in the cup)
- women in the bed - mysterious - hear 'Billie Jean' yet don't see her - only in bed
- neighbour - old nosy granny (1st calling detective) / old (shower cap) / female
- 1st impression: Billie Jean has a child w/ Jackson yet he isn't interested in a romantic relationship - unwanted attention from press - constantly followed
- black & white - detective & homeless man
- Jackson walks across street
- detective watches
- Jackson dances
- Jackson enters hotel room - detective & neighbor watching
- Jackson gets into bed w/ someone
- detectives @ window then Jackson disappears & becomes invisible
- see where he walks - invisible
- tiger print top turns into a cat
- star theory - being followed / lights up enery time he takes a step - important / magical
- young black male
- portrayed groupies
star theory (Richard Dyers)
- the idea that celebrities are manufactured by institutions to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions in order to relate to audiences / untouchability - God like quality yet relatable
history
- historically significant music video
- one of the first videos on MTV to ft. a black artist & be aired on regular rotation
- immense popularity - helped bring MTV into mainstream / breakthrough racial barriers on TV networks / helped propel 'Thriller' album to bestselling album of all time
- considered to bring MTV from new & unknown music channel → mainstream attention
- network's executives felt black music wasn't 'rock' enough
what is the song about?
- theory 1:
- "there never was a real Billie Jean. the girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone's child when it wasn't true" - Michael Jackson, Moonwalk (1988)
- Jackson stated several times that 'Billie Jean' was based on groupies he & his brothers encountered whilst part of the Jackson 5 - anonymous - represents lots of girls (60s groupies)
- "they would hang around backstage doors and any band would come to town they would have a relationship with and I think I wrote this out of experience with my brothers when I was little. there were a lot of Billie Jenas out there. every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers" - due to fame of Jackson 5 / wanting to have the money for a way of living
-vs-
- theory 2:
- Jackson's biographer I.Randy Taraborrelli promoted theory: Billie Jean was derived from a real life experience the singer faced in 1981 - 'The Magic & The Madness' documents how a young woman wrote Jackson a letter saying he was the father of 1 of her twins - Jackson regularly received similar letters so ignored it - woman continued writing letters saying she loved him / wanted to be with him / how happy they would be raising a child together / how could Jackson ignore his own flesh & blood - disturbed Jackson & gave him nightmares
- following letters, Jackson received parcel containing:
- photograph of fan - Jackson horrified & hung photograph in frame above family dining table (mother dismayed)
- letter (asking Jackson to kill himself on a certain day & time / if they couldn't be together in this life, they would be together in the next)
- gun
- after, Jacksons discovered the fan had been sent to a psychiatric hospital
background
- producer & director: Steve Barron - chosen bc Jackson & Quincy Jones liked his work on the Human League video for 'Don't You Want Me'
- Barron's original idea more complex / involved group of dancers - simplified due to budget - idea of Jackson having a Midas Touch - squares he stepped on lighting up - placed painted glass in front of camera to fill wide shots w/o building actual set pieces to save on set design - see in shots where Jackson is on sidewalk in front of city landscape
- inspiration: based on idea for previous video for Joan Armatrading 'the Midas Touch thing' - everywhere Michael walked, everything would glow & turn to gold in the light - Michael replied: "he wants it to feel like a Peter Pan thing"
analysis (brief)
- Jackson removed from Polaroid - removed from Billie Jean's life
- cat changes
- escaping / tricking detectives
- billboard of girls - social lights / dressed up to party a lot - girls like Billie Jean
- bed - glows after - 1 person (Jackson by himself so didn't sleep w/ girl) / sex
- tiger print - evidence / tiger connotations
- in background, neighbor picks up phone and Jackson tries to hide - doing something he shouldn't / going back-way to hotel room so not to be seen
- gets away at end
representations of ethnicity
Alvarado (1987) identified 4 main types: how it applies to Billie Jean
background
- producer & director: Steve Barron - chosen bc Jackson & Quincy Jones liked his work on the Human League video for 'Don't You Want Me'
- Barron's original idea more complex / involved group of dancers - simplified due to budget - idea of Jackson having a Midas Touch - squares he stepped on lighting up - placed painted glass in front of camera to fill wide shots w/o building actual set pieces to save on set design - see in shots where Jackson is on sidewalk in front of city landscape
- inspiration: based on idea for previous video for Joan Armatrading 'the Midas Touch thing' - everywhere Michael walked, everything would glow & turn to gold in the light - Michael replied: "he wants it to feel like a Peter Pan thing"
analysis (brief)
- Jackson removed from Polaroid - removed from Billie Jean's life
- cat changes
- escaping / tricking detectives
- billboard of girls - social lights / dressed up to party a lot - girls like Billie Jean
- bed - glows after - 1 person (Jackson by himself so didn't sleep w/ girl) / sex
- tiger print - evidence / tiger connotations
- in background, neighbor picks up phone and Jackson tries to hide - doing something he shouldn't / going back-way to hotel room so not to be seen
- gets away at end
representations of ethnicity
Alvarado (1987) identified 4 main types: how it applies to Billie Jean
- humorous, comic relief (e.g. Eddy Murphey)
- exotic - other cultures presented as unusual / exotic in traditions / ways of living - white girls looking at him / bed scene / detective following
- pitied - objects of pity / vulnerability (e.g. charity ads) - subversed: Jackson flips coin to homeless perosn
- dangerous / criminal / gangster - coupled w/ binary opposition (e.g. respectable white character) - neighbor calling detectives / detectives responding
positive representations of ethnicity: (Jackson as young black male)
- gives money to poor & transforms his life
- voyerism (notion of looking)
- star - light-up flooring / light-up bed / screen time
negative representations of ethnicity: (Jackson as young black male)
- accused of something - creating scandal - why is he being chased by press?
- deceitful - telling people to keep quiet
- disappearing when reporter tries to catch up w/ him
social, cultural & historical context
- reporter - represent Jackson hounded by press (e.g. skin colour change) / repressed community that is monitored & controlled by the press
- billboard of guy - controlled / 'Big Brother' always being watched
- Jackson demonstrates control over situation - taking control of the media
- subliminal meanings
- cat → tiger - timid → taking control of situation / exotic (Alvarado's representations of ethnicity theory)
- Billie Jean came out 1982 but can be linked to life beyond year of production - associations to modern day society (e.g. trouser length came back into fashion)
interpretation of narrative
↳shows man struggling w/ problem - whether he fathered a child w/ a woman obsessed w/ him (lyrics)
- 1st part: Jackson walking down street / thinking about what he should do - lamppost glows when he walks past it (idea / light bulb)
- confusing - reporter starts creeping around shadows - deception / hack paparazzi deceiving / sneaking around w/ rumors - reporter drops newspaper w/ headline about Billie Jean
- Jackson trying to show how these issues get so out of hand w/ the media - has to worry about it personally & has to dodge people worsening situation
mise-en-scene - shows ethnicity / star image / stereotypes
- under street lamp - prostitute - Jackson being used and abused
- city
- life changes over night - excuse
- still frames - represent the press taking live action shots of Jackson
- hairstyle & fashion - fashionable at times, similar to other videos
- star - everything lights up - aware of own talent - opposes dark autumn day
- binary opposite of Jackson (protagonist - telling truth) vs journalist (antagonist)
- ethnicity - exotic / pitied subverted / dangerous
- star image - Midas Touch
- stereotypes - nosy neighbour
- setting - urban areas more ethnically diverse (e.g. London) / star image - Hollywood
- setting - unusual - something isn't right
- props - cat turns into tiger / tiger cloth turns into cat - metaphor for women - tiger cloth found by Jackson in bedroom then found dropped on street by detective - relates to Jackson's confusion then detective confirming Jackson's doubts of if he is the father / other problems - detectives finding evidence for false theories - no way of public knowing if its true / false
- props - newspaper - setting scene of scandle
- props - camera - trying to catch Jackson / pictures fan sent - relates to screenshots of Jackson - detectives trying to catch huim out
- facial expressions - Jackson deep in thought / tired and fed up
- hair & make-up - hair usual and not over-the-top makeup / standard for time period - what you would expect
- lighting & colour - Midas Touch - lights up where he steps
- lighting - lampost scene - lighting minimal and lampost is only ray of light - light in dark - safety
- colours - dominantly pink / purple - sunset - sunset in background reinforces - time running out - purple & night time mysterious / pink shirt - feminine / red bow tie & not fully functioning hotel sign - warning sign telling Jackson not to go up there yet he does anyway - going against what people say / not conforming / wanting to find things himself
- colour - surreal colour palette and unusual setting - something isn't quite right
- costume - detective trying to hide identity (sunglasses / hat / collar pulled up - contrasted by trying to expose Jackson & Jackson not trying to hide himself - still wears colours that make him stand out, despite negative & unwanted press
- positioning - looking down on homeless man on floor - position of weakness compared to Michael
- positioning - in some scenes Jackson is presented as bigger - standing up against media / society
- positioning - lamp dividing line in middle between detective & Jackson - good vs bad / conflict in Michael's mind - star image & being caught by press go together
sound & music
lyrics:
- "always think twice" / "don't think twice" - famous, don't want to get too close to women as can turn into issue / call and response - internal conflict
- "but the kid is not my son" - actual meaning - convincing self / media
- "Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one" - women's aspirations to be groupie - intentions to be pregnant w/ his son - many woman who took advantage of Jackson 5 brothers & other male celebs
bassline:
- changes a little bit yet continuous - switches between higher and lower pitch also - quick / repetitive (ostinato) - has to repeat himself / predictability of groupie women - intionally getting pregnant
- constantly going up and down - represents roller coaster of emotions & Jackson's life
- urgent - not relaxed - not often fast
- chords come in - jumpy - reflects mood and feelings of Jackson at time of writing
editing
- close up on eyes
- frame splits into 3 shots of Jackson
interpretation of narrative
↳shows man struggling w/ problem - whether he fathered a child w/ a woman obsessed w/ him (lyrics)
- 1st part: Jackson walking down street / thinking about what he should do - lamppost glows when he walks past it (idea / light bulb)
- confusing - reporter starts creeping around shadows - deception / hack paparazzi deceiving / sneaking around w/ rumors - reporter drops newspaper w/ headline about Billie Jean
- Jackson trying to show how these issues get so out of hand w/ the media - has to worry about it personally & has to dodge people worsening situation
mise-en-scene - shows ethnicity / star image / stereotypes
- setting
- props
- facial expressions
- hair & make up
- lighting & colour
- costumes
- positioning
- under street lamp - prostitute - Jackson being used and abused
- city
- life changes over night - excuse
- still frames - represent the press taking live action shots of Jackson
- hairstyle & fashion - fashionable at times, similar to other videos- star - everything lights up - aware of own talent - opposes dark autumn day
- binary opposite of Jackson (protagonist - telling truth) vs journalist (antagonist)
- ethnicity - exotic / pitied subverted / dangerous
- star image - Midas Touch
- stereotypes - nosy neighbour
- setting - urban areas more ethnically diverse (e.g. London) / star image - Hollywood
- setting - unusual - something isn't right
- props - cat turns into tiger / tiger cloth turns into cat - metaphor for women - tiger cloth found by Jackson in bedroom then found dropped on street by detective - relates to Jackson's confusion then detective confirming Jackson's doubts of if he is the father / other problems - detectives finding evidence for false theories - no way of public knowing if its true / false- props - newspaper - setting scene of scandle
- props - camera - trying to catch Jackson / pictures fan sent - relates to screenshots of Jackson - detectives trying to catch huim out
- facial expressions - Jackson deep in thought / tired and fed up
- hair & make-up - hair usual and not over-the-top makeup / standard for time period - what you would expect
- lighting & colour - Midas Touch - lights up where he steps
- lighting - lampost scene - lighting minimal and lampost is only ray of light - light in dark - safety
- colours - dominantly pink / purple - sunset - sunset in background reinforces - time running out - purple & night time mysterious / pink shirt - feminine / red bow tie & not fully functioning hotel sign - warning sign telling Jackson not to go up there yet he does anyway - going against what people say / not conforming / wanting to find things himself
- colour - surreal colour palette and unusual setting - something isn't quite right
- costume - detective trying to hide identity (sunglasses / hat / collar pulled up - contrasted by trying to expose Jackson & Jackson not trying to hide himself - still wears colours that make him stand out, despite negative & unwanted press
- positioning - looking down on homeless man on floor - position of weakness compared to Michael
- positioning - in some scenes Jackson is presented as bigger - standing up against media / society
- positioning - lamp dividing line in middle between detective & Jackson - good vs bad / conflict in Michael's mind - star image & being caught by press go together
sound & music
lyrics:
- "always think twice" / "don't think twice" - famous, don't want to get too close to women as can turn into issue / call and response - internal conflict
- "but the kid is not my son" - actual meaning - convincing self / media
- "Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one" - women's aspirations to be groupie - intentions to be pregnant w/ his son - many woman who took advantage of Jackson 5 brothers & other male celebs
bassline:
- changes a little bit yet continuous - switches between higher and lower pitch also - quick / repetitive (ostinato) - has to repeat himself / predictability of groupie women - intionally getting pregnant
- constantly going up and down - represents roller coaster of emotions & Jackson's life
- urgent - not relaxed - not often fast
- chords come in - jumpy - reflects mood and feelings of Jackson at time of writing
editing
- close up on eyes
- frame splits into 3 shots of Jackson
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